JIMMY CLIFF at the CARLING ACADEMY GLASGOW

Im glad i choose to go to Jimmy Cliff rather than stay in to watch the Champions League Final.

There is no doubt when he comes out on stage you are in the presence of a legend.

He seems to get younger every time i see him , hard to believe he is in his mid-sixties.

The voice is incredible , the moves are incredulous.

A major highlight was his version of one of the greatest anti-war songs , Vietnam being performed with Afghanistan instead of the original title.It is amazing a song written about the loss of innocents in the futility of politically motivated Wars 40 years ago still having relevance in todays outlandish ill advised imperial adventures:



Cliff is an ultimate showman as you can see from the song King of Kings:



A favourite anthem  for those that struggle against injustice and oppression is the song The Harder They Come , here is a version performed by big Jimmy Cliff fan Bruce Springsteen whose version of Trapped is one of the best out there.






Last , and not least is the full version (44 minutes) of the set performed at Glastonbury:

TO A GOD UNKNOWN at the TRON GLASGOW

This stage adaptation rehearsed reading of John Steinbecks novel proved extremely professional from a cast that had only gathered at 10 am in the morning to prepare for tonights performance , the script is a very good one faithful to the themes of the book , they hope to make it into a full stage production , and with Gerry Mulgrew involved im sure they may get there.


 The audience absolutely loved it , being enthralled by the story of faith;belief and spirituality from start to finish.

The editing is just right to give momentum without losing the powerful metaphors and allusions contained in the Book.If it comes out it will be a must for lovers of the book and Theatre alike.

MARLEY at the GLASGOW CINEWORLD

There is not a person who had the pleasure of seeing Bob Marley perform at the Glasgow Apollo in early 1980 who does not regard it as the best ever concert and all round musical experience of their lives.


 In a recent thread on the CelticMinded forum here are quoted from posters who still rave about that night. "i was at the appollo gig on the friday july 1980,without showing off apart from the beatles ive seen them all from bob dylan to miles davis,james brown to the jesus and mary chain,and ive said on here numerous times the marley gig is the greatest gig ive ever seen by a country mile.


The atmosphere was electric,a vibe ive never expirenced before or since,im an athiest but it was like being in the precence of a god,the wailers done a half hour set and at the end of it they were leading the whole audience in a chant of "MARLEY MARLEY",The man himself bounced on and done a 3 hour set culminating with him onstage himself with an acoustic guitar,with glasgow written on it,sitting crying as he sang "redemption song",im getting goose bumps thinking about it"


"a true musical and spiritual game changer,up there with the likes of ghandi,mlk and malcolm x imo."


"Was a steward in The Apollo late 70s/early 80s.Great night,place packed but everyone so chilled there was not the slightest hint of bother.Know the girl who got to present him with his sold out award.Great memories.Along with AC/DC(with Bon Scott) it is one of my favourite concerts" "the appollo (sic) bouncers were fucking animals back then,seen many a punk getting leathered at gigs espicially the stranglers for some reason,the marley gig they could not be nicer,turning a blind eye to joints and chillums ( double sic!) being passed"


 "I endorse everything you say in that post and even today 32 years later it can still stop the conversation when you say you have seen Bob Marley in concert. One memory I have is that Bob looked a bit confused or maybe nonplussed after the first song as 3,000 almost exclusively white audience went mental but the Apollo was the Apollo and few of us ever believed we would get to see the King of Reggae in our home city. That didn't stop him and the Wailers and I-threes just blow the place apart. Many others followed on like Clint Eastwood & General Saint, The Mighty Diamonds, Yellowman ( iirc up at the QM Union) and Third World through in Edinburgh but that night with Bob was a piece of magic that lives in the memory. I'm not sure if my memory is quite up to the timelines any more but I'm sure just a few weeks before that Marley gig was our famous game against Real Madrid at CP in the quarter final of the European Cup when we won 2-0 in the first leg but lost over in Madrid. These football nights at CP and music nights in the Apollo were truly awe inspiring they left you drained of every emotion on the night but gave you a lifetime of memories to live with."


"Also of interest was Bob Marleys love of football and his support for Celtic which has been documented in Dixie Deans biography. "bob marleys son ziggy has been at celtic park many times over the years and is still going when he can,i got my picture with him in 2001,he has a friend who has seats in the business section,the guy must work in the music business because my freind sits near them and say a lot of celebs use the seats including norm from cheers believe it or not".



 So it was fitting that Bob Marleys recent documentary was not only directed by a Scot , but also played in a cinema complex on the same block as the famous legendary Glasgow Apollo venue of that magical night.

 It was a bit of class , very touching in parts.Not as much music footage as i would have expected , but the stories behind some songs you would normally pass over really gives an insight of what a remarkable gift a true artist can be.All the sources were primary ones from People who were with him at the time.Chris Blackwell comes across in a ruthless , if not negative light , which shows much for his character as he is co-producer of the documentary along with Ziggy Marley.It is also good to see the perpetually young Jimmy Cliff as an early mentor and encourager of Marley and The Wailers when they really needed Friends as they made the hard , hard journey in starting out. This review gives a fair assessment on the appeal of this production. You can see the trailer for in the link below: Here are 3 eternal universal classic tracks performed live which remind us why the music of Marley transcends all bounds and time. Redemption Song: Stir It Up: Get Up Stand Up: